Thursday, May 30, 2013

Sohpie Littlefield: A Bad Day for Sorry

This is the debut novel of author Sophie Littlefield. Some of you may recognize
the name from her Aftertime series (which I have read and loved) but this was
Littlefield's first venture into the published book world, and Littlefield
takes the mystery to vigilante justice with a twist:Stella Hardesty was in an abusive marriage that came to an end one day when
she killed her husband with a wrench. For a while Stella did not completely
remember what happened that day but she was very happy to be free; free to live
how she wants and free to live her own life. Stella has come into herself later
in life and now she wants to help those who are suffering the same abusive
relationship that she had endured for years. Now Stella is out to help women
who are being abused by their husbands and boyfriends; exacting her own type of
justice on her own parolees. But when one on her parolees strays from the
course Stella has set him on and there is a young child involved, Stella will
do anything, even take on the Mob, in order to get the child back.This is a different type of mystery book as it is not as cut and dry as
others and this has to do mainly as having Stella as the main character and
heroine as well as the path that Stella has decided to take. She really feels
that she has helped multiple women out of abusive situations with her own
strange type of persuasion, rumours and apparently dominatrix ways (I laughed
when I heard that rumour about her) and I don’t see anything that counteracts
this conclusion, though she slightly on the wrong side of the law (okay maybe
more than slightly). Littlefield definitely knows how to introduce the reader
to the south, from the land scape, the small town life and how some of the
characters talk. I like how Littlefield was not afraid to have Stella as a
mortal individual, who can’t beat everything; she is a very real person. Even
though Stella has changed a lot since her husband's "death", it does
not mean that she is in control of everything her body and life. The mystery
was a little bit lack luster in this book, and a little bit predictable but
overall it was still an enjoyable read.Littlefield was smart to have an "older" woman as the main
protagonist as I think it open the book up to a demographic that probably does
the majority of reading these days. Does this mean that a younger reader will
not enjoy this book definitely not. I am in my mid-late 20s and I really
enjoyed this book but I know personally I like reading book every now and then
when the protagonist is about the same age as me and I can relate to some of
their choices and though processes.Stella does not represent the typical image of a heroine when you are
reading a mystery novel, i'm pretty sure she is the last thing that you would
expect. Stella is 50 years old, and is known around town for killing her
abusive husband three years earlier with a wrench. Stella not being the typical
heroine is what makes her so interesting.There are so many different aspects to
her character that it was interesting, for me, to read a book where the
protagonist was over 50 years of age, as there are experiences that Stella has
had that I have not, and how they have shaped her into the person she is now. I
think that it is funny that Stella refers to the men as her parolees and that
she has to make sure they walk the straight and narrow and that she still keeps
her sowing shop open, even though it does not sound like it is very profitable.
Stella had so many characteristic that I was drawn to and enjoyed. She is
protective, witty (with some very dry humor), she still got all hot and
bothered when the guy she liked was around, she was fearless and really I think
overall just wants to see the good in everyone. Stella is still a little green
in the whole detective aspect of this book, but man does she ever have
resources, some that I think the police would appreciate. To be honest this book is all about Stella, she is what makes the book. So
if you like Stella you will enjoy this book, if you don’t then you probably are
not going to like this book. I personally liked Stella as a character and
really who does not want to read a book about a 50 year old lady who is doing
her own style of Vigilante Justice against abusive men? I am looking forward to
getting my hands on the next book.Enjoy!!!!

About Me

Hello,

My name is J-9 and I am proud to be a Bookworm.

Many of you may have seen my posts within the Chapters Community as I have been writing reviews for a few years now, however, I have been convinced to create my own blog/website that is solely dedicated to reviews. I hope that by reading this you are having a look around my website and I hope that you are able to find a book that you may not have heard of or have found a review for a book you were looking for. I hope my review helps you find the next book you read.